The hotel where the wedding was being held was much bigger and nicer than I expected. I heard it had been quite a hassle to book the venue.
After signing the guestbook and handing over the congratulatory gift money, Seo Taeyoung spotted me at just the right time and came over.
"Wow, Ji-han. How long has it been since we last saw each other?"
Seo Taeyoung, today's other main character alongside the bride, had his bangs neatly slicked back and was wearing a tuxedo.
I took the hand he offered and smiled lightly.
"Almost a year, huh? You look great today, hyung."
"Hearing that from you makes me feel good. You didn't have any trouble getting here, right?"
"It was fine. The venue's close to the station. You nervous?"
"I'm dying, seriously. I thought about taking some calming pills, but I heard they can make you drowsy, so I didn't dare."
"Screw the pills. Just try to tough it out."
I answered playfully, and Taeyoung gently tapped my arm with a smile.
"Thanks for coming even though you must be busy."
"Of course I'd come. Congratulations on your wedding."
"Thanks. If you get hungry during the event, feel free to eat, and don't worry about leaving early if you need to."
With a wink that avoided the eyes of the surrounding adults, Taeyoung moved on to greet other guests.
There were still about 30 minutes until the ceremony started, so I walked around a bit to check out the place.
Seo Taeyoung was one of the few pro gamer acquaintances I had stayed close with over the past six years, ever since we met at age 18.
Back then, I was hovering between Diamond and Master rankings, and he was a rookie who had just debuted as a pro. Even then, there were so few players in the top tiers that we occasionally ended up on the same team.
As we played together more and more, we naturally added each other as friends and kept in touch through messaging now and then. Then, when I was 19, I entered my first offline tournament, and that's when we met in person for the first time.
That tournament had been hosted by Kim Sehoon, a first-generation pro gamer. During his time as a player, he had belonged to the LVS team. That's why his junior and fellow mid-laner, Seo Taeyoung, had come to support and promote the event.
Time really flies.
It's already been over a year since Taeyoung retired, and now he's getting married.
In the world of esports, where players usually debut around age 20 or younger, he had a relatively late start, which meant he couldn't sustain a long career. Even so, he was a respected mid-laner for LVS, a team that had swept nearly every tournament since its founding.
And LVS still has Gamgak on the roster.
He said he'd be attending the wedding too, right? Considering they were teammates for two years, of course he would.
Though I knew nothing about him besides his face and in-game nickname, I couldn't help feeling nervous. He had dealt me such a heavy blow back then that I gave up on the game I'd poured years into, without a second thought.
I decided to lay low and slip out quietly around the middle of the ceremony. I wandered the halls, looking for a quiet corner away from the crowd.
"It's weird thinking Taeyoung hyung is getting married."
"This is my first time at a wedding."
"Please don't cause any trouble and just behave, okay?"
"Coach! When can we eat?"
I overheard voices nearby. One of the faces, the one they called coach, looked familiar.
It was the guy Taeyoung had previously introduced as the LVS team's coach. Which meant the people with him were probably all LVS players or staff.
Guess I just need to steer clear of that group.
I wasn't sure if Gamsung was still part of the LVS team or not, but either way, he'd probably be hanging around with people he knew.
Turning my back completely and walking in the opposite direction, I pressed my furrowed brow with my fingers.
I had come to my close friend's wedding—what the hell was I doing right now?
I definitely didn't want to see him, that much was true. But trying this hard to avoid him made reality hit me even harder.
Gamsung probably didn't even know who I was. With that thought, I sighed.
"Um…"
At the sound of a low, gentle voice, I instinctively turned my gaze to the side—only to flinch at the unexpected sight of someone I never imagined encountering.
Tall and well-proportioned, with light-colored hair that shimmered under the lights, and ears that were blushing red in contrast to his pale skin.
"Hello. Um, I'm…"
He looked embarrassed, avoiding eye contact and fumbling over his words before finally continuing.
"I'm Gamsung. I'm on the same team as Seo Taeyoung… Do you happen to know him?"
'What the hell.'
Listening to his introduction, I couldn't hide my shock at how surreal this whole situation was.
'Why are you talking to me?'
The man standing in front of me was unmistakably the same Gamsung I'd seen recently in an article online.
But why was Gamsung even talking to me? How did he know who I was? No matter how much I tried to figure it out, I just couldn't understand.
"Ah, yeah. I do know… sort of."
I replied awkwardly and quickly glanced around. But there was no one else in this secluded hallway but me.
Gamsung, seeming delighted by my response, broke into a wide smile and stepped closer.
Instinctively, I took a step back.
"You do know me! I've been wanting to meet you for a while."
"…Me?"
"Yes."
Fluttering his long eyelashes, he blinked a few times and added,
"You're Mr. I'mSleepy, right? We've played a lot of games together. And I've heard a lot about you from Taeyoung too…"
"..."
Hearing my in-game nickname come out of Gamsung's mouth—it was horrifying. A chill ran up my spine.
'But why does his voice sound so familiar?'
I had watched a couple of the behind-the-scenes or tournament interview videos LVS uploaded, but this was definitely my first time hearing his voice in person.
Still, it felt oddly familiar in my ears.
Unable to figure out how to react, I stood there blankly.
Just then, an announcement came on saying the wedding was about to start.
—Ladies and gentlemen, please be advised. The ceremony will begin in ten minutes. For smooth proceedings, we kindly ask you to begin entering the hall.
"Haha, I see. It was nice meeting you. I'll be going in now."
Perfect timing. I used the excuse of needing to go into the hall to quickly end the conversation and turned away from him.
"Uh, I… I need to go in too…"
But Gamsung started mumbling to himself and followed behind me.
Oh, I'm seriously going to lose it.
＊＊＊
The wedding proceeded without any major issues.
Standing all the way in the back, I clapped here and there while thinking:
'What's up with this guy, seriously?'
Gamsung was standing right next to me, glancing over at me as if he had something to say.
If he had something to say, I wished he'd just say it and leave. More and more people were glancing our way, and it was getting really uncomfortable.
'This is getting annoying…'
No good. I should slip out after watching just a little more.
As I sighed with my arms crossed, Gamsung, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up again, hesitantly.
"Um, Mr. I'mSleepy."
"..."
I'm going to lose it.
"Call me Ji-han Yoo."
"Ah, okay."
When I told him my name, Gamsung gave me a shy smile.
"Ji-han Yoo… ssi?"
"Go ahead."
"The wedding's almost over… Would you, maybe… like to grab a meal?"
Why was he asking that? Don't tell me he was planning to eat with me?
A sense of dread ran through me, and I quickly shook my head.
"No."
"Ah…"
Gamsung looked awkward as he lowered his brows with a disheartened face. Seeing him that dejected made me feel a twinge of guilt—maybe I'd rejected him a little too bluntly—but I didn't want to take it back now.
There's no way I could smile and share a meal with someone I just met under this awkward mood. Especially not with someone who's made me feel this uncomfortable from the start.
Right then, the sound of applause rang out, signaling the end of the ceremony. The staff opened the previously closed doors and cleared away the decorations to ease movement. The guests began to rise—some lining up to take photos with the bride and groom, others filing out of the hall.
Now's my chance. I turned to leave, ignoring Gamsung—only to have someone suddenly step in front of me and block my path.
"Cha Yoojung!"
"…?"
It turned out to be the LVS team coach I had seen before the ceremony started.
He rushed over, gave me a brief apologetic glance, then began scolding Gamsung like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You little punk, if you came, you should've called. Why weren't you answering your phone? Did you even watch the ceremony?"
"I did."
Gamsung responded in a dull voice—completely different from how he'd spoken to me.
Wait a minute.
'Gamsung's real name is Cha Yoojung?'
Gamsung was a pretty popular player, but like most pro gamers, he was more known by his nickname than his real name.
I enjoyed playing games, but I never really cared about the tournaments or the players. So I was only just now learning his name… And if Gamsung's real name was Cha Yoojung…
"…!"
In that instant, something struck my mind like lightning. My whole body froze in shock.
No way. No way.
No way…
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